We have released our Annual Report 2011; the full report can be downloaded in PDF format here:

Bayimba Annual Report 2011

Message from the Director

Dear Friends of Bayimba,

Faisal Kiwewa - Director Bayimba Cultural Foundation - Photo by: Thomas Bjørnskau

With every season passing, our multi-arts programming has become more engaging and exciting, full of experimental activity and surprising new cutting edge productions and performances. This represents the uniqueness of the Bayimba brand.

I am delighted to be able to report that also in 2011 we were able to live up to the expectations. Bayimba introduced new art forms, such as street theatre and experimental musical theatre, which were enthusiastically welcomed by our audiences. We expanded our horizons by reaching out to two new regions in Uganda and specifically targeting the younger generation, which brought a whole new palette of creativity and artistic exchanges. Bayimba also pioneered with training arts managers and arts journalists since they are indispensible if we are to raise the profile of arts and culture in Uganda. Bayimba also joined new networks and contributed to strengthening existing ones, at national, regional and international level. After all, over 200,000 people joined the 4th Bayimba season, as part of our growing audience, as artists performing or showcasing or as trainees attending parts of our educational programme.

Once again, I would like to thank all those that made our 4th season a success: the Bayimba team that collectively owns the Bayimba brand; the artists that grace our programmes and make our activities phenomenal; our service providers that offer us endless support and favours; and the Uganda National Cultural Centre that has become our host and home.
Needless to say that the Bayimba team was energized by the successful implementation of all new and familiar programmes and activities, but it goes without saying that our ambitious programming also called for adequate and increasing financial and human capacity. I am happy to state that we managed to increase and diversify our financial support base and renewed contracts with our long-term partners.

We also received some notable support from the private sector and we are confident that more will be joining us for the 5th season. I am also grateful that we could welcome new enthusiastic staff members and hosted energetic interns that assisted us in executing our ambitious plans. Last but not least, we took further important steps in strengthening our organisational capacity, most notably through the appointment of new Board members who have come in with lots of energy and enthusiasm to strengthen governance and sustainability.

At Bayimba, we truly believe that 2011 has been a fantastic year for the arts and culture in Uganda. It has set a pace for artists and creative entrepreneurs to become more testing and daring. We hope to achieve more in the years to come, together with your support. We are once more determined to aim for the best!

Faisal Kiwewa
Director

We have released our Annual Report 2010; the full report can be downloaded in PDF format here:

Bayimba Annual Report 2010

Message from the Director

Dear Friends and Fans of Bayimba,

Faisal Kiwewa - Director Bayimba Cultural Foundation

It is with great pleasure and pride that I present this Annual Report which provides an extensive account of the activities that Bayimba Cultural Foundation implemented throughout the year 2010. It was a very busy, exciting and successful year in which we – again – made tremendous leaps forward.

We first of all took significant steps towards the development of a year-round artistic and educational program that is not only centred on the annual Bayimba International Festival but also includes a range of activities, from workshops and discussions to exchange programmes and other events, throughout the year. It was also the year in which we successfully introduced and launched the concept of the Bayimba Regional Festivals, to embrace other cultures, reach out to new audiences and to create a countrywide impact for the arts sector. And it was also the year in which we championed important initiatives that are aimed at drawing attention to the role and potential of the arts and cultural sector in Uganda. Together with our partners in arts and culture, we premiered the Uganda Annual Conference on Arts and Culture, one of the greatest initiatives in the sector today that seeks to provide a platform for joint discussion and action in the cultural sector.

The gradual but steady growth of Bayimba and the annual Bayimba International Festival clearly demonstrate a demand for creative products, the need for lasting arts structures and the necessity to focus on the sustainability of creative initiatives. We therefore find ourselves at Bayimba in the process of developing concrete plans to provide a structured financial support scheme for arts initiatives and individual artists as a way to enhance, inspire and motivate creative minds while we are also tickling our own creative minds to set up lasting arts structures.

It does not need much thinking to understand that a successful implementation of all – old and new – Bayimba activities could not have been achieved neither without the support and participation of Bayimba’s partners, supporters, funders and friends – with whom we define our success – nor with the endless efforts and capabilities of the Bayimba team that created and adapted new models of survey and communication and executed their tasks roles with a high level of commitment and flexibility. I am pleased that this report will introduce you to the Bayimba team members and our partners and supporters.

The growing strength of Bayimba has demonstrated that it is possible and feasible – with all energy and enthusiasm available – to add value and be relevant to the development of the arts and cultural sector as a whole. Looking back at Bayimba’s road to achieve its mission, I dare to say now with a good level of certainty that the state of arts and culture in Uganda has changed and that the sector is ready for the next phase of development.

During the next five years, Bayimba and its team will therefore continue to commit itself and work tirelessly to increase awareness about the importance of arts and culture in societal development, increase access to artistic and cultural expressions, promote creativity, artistic skills and cultural entrepreneurship while strengthening Bayimba’s operations and the Bayimba brand. To achieve this, we will revise our organizational structure, nurture and develop our relations with existing partners and supporters, forge new partnership and synergies, introduce a “Friends of Bayimba” membership programme, and create and develop more programmes and initiatives that will assist the arts and cultural sector to claim its well-deserved role in developing Uganda socially, culturally and economically.

I wish you a pleasant reading and welcome you to join us in our venture!

Sincerely yours,
Faisal Kiwewa
Director

We have released our Annual Report 2009; the full report can be downloaded in PDF format here:

Bayimba Annual Report 2009

Message from the Director

Dear friends,

Faisal Kiwewa, Director Bayimba (photo by Allie Mutaka)

With the moral and financial support received this year, coupled with a strengthened strategic focus, there is no doubt that Bayimba Cultural Foundation managed to make some giant leaps forward. Under the theme “Our Contribution to Society”, Bayimba Cultural Foundation not only emerged as a relevant cultural enterprise but also as an important force in the development of a vibrant creative arts industry in Uganda and East Africa which is embraced by artists and the general public.

Between January 2008 and December 2009, roughly UGX 394 millions were spent by Bayimba Cultural Foundation on emphasizing the value of arts and culture in transforming and shaping society; stimulating music and arts in Uganda and East Africa; identifying and showcasing original creativity, skills and talent; and building the organisation’s relevance.

I am proud to say that our belief and dedication have allowed us to overcome the numerous hurdles we were faced with – and we have not been left unrewarded. There are a couple of things worth mentioning here. First, a tremendous support from artists and the cultural sector could be registered in 2009. Second, we noted an increased interest amongst the public – whereas only a handful of people came to attend the 2008 Festival, the second edition of 2009 was graced with an attendance of 9,000 people. Finally, we were blessed with increased external financial contributions and, as a result, 90% of our planned activities for 2009 could be implemented.

It is with the support from all who believed in us that we managed to organise our activities and build the Bayimba brand. I thank all artists that have contributed passionately to the development of the concept of our activities. We are looking forward to your continued involvement and we invite other artists to join us with their ideas. Bayimba Cultural Foundation is there for you, to support your creativity.

I also thank our funders for believing in us. We are grateful for the financial support you provided towards the implementation of our activities. We are eager to forge solid and long-term partnerships that will serve our mutual interests. You will not be disappoint for having associated with the Bayimba brand.

Allow me also to thank our media supporters, for having understood what Bayimba Cultural Foundation is all about and, as a result, for having been there with us along the way. To jointly develop creativity in Uganda, both for the arts and the media, we are eager to build upon our recently established relationship.

Last but not least, it cannot be left unsaid that at the heart of all these achievements lie the endless efforts of a team: the Bayimba team. I have been privileged to work with a motivated and energetic team that put the achievements of Bayimba Cultural Foundation first. They are the volunteers that have flipped the arts sector in Uganda today. I can never thank you enough, for your belief, your patience and your selfless attitude.

This report is an account of what we achieved with the funds and moral sup port received so far. It is a testimony for how much can be achieved when creativity, enthusiasm and innovation meet flexibility, perseverance and belief. Despite all the tremendous progress achieved, we should also be reminded that we still stand at the very beginning – there is still much to do for the arts in Uganda! Bayimba Cultural Foundation is therefore developing its activity plan for the coming years and it is with no doubt that the creative arts industry in Uganda is bound to benefit from that.

I wish you good reading.

Faisal Kiwewa
Director